For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
—2 Timothy 4:6-8.
Paul actually wrote this verse right before he was carried out to be executed. In fact, it was one of the very last things he ever wrote. To me, this verse demonstrates “selflessness”. Paul didn’t live for Jesus at the beginning of his life,; however, he made up for it at the end. Growing up, Paul (then known as Saul), lived a very selfish life. He only looked after himself and everything he did was in the sole interest of him and him alone. As a adult, Paul helped to seek out and kill many innocent people. Paul was a selfish, bitter man- that is, until he met Jesus.
When Jesus came into Paul’s life, Paul was completely transformed. He was a new man. And immediatley people began to see a change in him. When Jesus became Paul’s main focus, Paul became self-less. No longer was he concerned about the well-being of himself. Instead, he was concerned about the welfare of others.
Paul knew that in doing so, he could lose everything, including his life, but it didn’t matter. Paul had discovered the true meaning of love and had embraced the true meaning of life itself which is ”selflessness”.
Paul poured his whole life into serving Jesus and serving others. He fought the good fight.
Now, if we judged Paul’s fight in the eyes of men, it would seem as if Paul lost everything. He lost his status among high officials, he had no money, he was a wanted man, and eventually caught and put in prison. All of these things are enough to make any man break down and give up, but not Paul. Even while in prison, Paul wrote letters of encouragement to many people offering hope and encouraging them to stay the course and follow Jesus no matter what the cost.
Eventually, Paul was tried and sentenced to death.
Paul continued to write and encourage even though he knew his days were numbered.
As the day came for him to be executed, crowds of people begin to gather outside. They hated what this man stood for and couldn’t wait to watch him die.
Inside his cell, Paul could hear the crowds getting louder and louder…
Paul knew it was almost time, so he wrote.
He wrote to his friends telling them not to worry and to continue where he had left off.
As he wrote, Paul could hear footsteps, distant at first, and then getting louder and louder. They stopped at his cell door.
Suddenly, the door to his cell opened and Paul looked up to see the guards. The end had come.
As the guards led Paul out of his cell and through the prison, Paul prayed for them.
They approached the door to the outside. The door was opened and Paul was led into the jeering crowd.
No one really knows what went on in Paul’s mind the minute he was led to the chopping block or the brief seconds in which the executor raised his axe. But we do know this: Paul fought the good fight. He gave his ALL for Jesus.
I’m pretty sure that the jeering crowd, the guards, and the executioner thought that Paul was a miserable failure that day. Paul had fought hard to share the gospel with the world and he ended up losing his life. However, Paul was a victor and he knew it. During his final moments, Paul knew that he was about to come face to face with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and receive his eternal award – the crown of righteousness.
Paul fought the good fight and today, his writings(which were inspired by God) and his legacy lives on and reaches millions of people all around the world.
This verse, though short and simple, is so profound. It means that we should never give up, never tired of being a light for HIM. And even when we don’t feel like being kind to others or letting “the peace of God rule” we should. We should strive to become, self-less individuals who think more of others than we do of ourseleves. Life is a constant battle. So let’s fight the good fight
